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peat G90 twig
fitia tue out?
Further to the correspondence by Mr Smart and N1r Edwards about the diesel half-track, during the early 1940s, International Harvester Co, USA, and other makers, sent a large number of bulldozers and angledozers to this country both military and lend lease.
One model, in particular, had a spark ignition system To starting only and ran on diesel after it had started; I believe it was either the TD1 8 or TD14. It had a four-cylinder engine and the compression ratio wat altered by a lever and cam system which closed off the petrol combustion chamber with a valve or similar system.
This engine, while slow compared to a petrol engine, would be suitable for the half-track, would increase its range, and lower the fire danger. It could well have bee a trial model as Mr Smart's description of it fits perfectly. Also, most tractors made by IHC, at this time, had four-cylinder engines; but wh( made them [don't know.
There is also the possibility that the mechanical inventiveness of the GI, combined with the engineerin facilities of the motor pool, could easily have fitted this engine into the half-track if it was not put there in the first place.
Also on the same subiect, there was a British single-cylinder horizontal engine of about 1 5hp on a far near my home. It was used to ind corn and make electricity id was manufactured in about 930; this also started on :trot, then switched over to esel. These engines, when inning, were both pure diesels id only used petrol for easy arting with the lower 3mpression.
While most people know at this country invented tanks 1 the First World War, the rigin of the caterpillar track is bit obscure. But if my
lemory serves me correctly, I .ad, some years ago, that the olt Tractor Co USA (now aterpillar Tractors) bought the atent and made their range of .acklayers; their solution to carting the diesels was a small lave engine running on petrol.
Another tracklayer of the Os was the Cletrac. These tarted with an electric starter, ombined with a flame sucked ito the manifold from a artridge or blowlamp.
Although the modern diesel as progressed way beyond 1-iese early models, they were tell-made sturdy reliable ngines and, no doubt, many till exist in running order, as hey were made to start under my conditions.
1RYAN BALL, "ewkesbury.